Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha was a Czech military leader and knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborite faction during the Hussite Wars. Renowned for his exceptional military skill, Žižka is celebrated as a Czech national hero. Žižka led the Hussite forces in battles against three crusades and remained undefeated throughout his military career.
Žižka was born in the village of Trocnov, located in the Kingdom of Bohemia, into a family of lower Czech nobility. According to Piccolomini's Historia Bohemica, he maintained connections within the royal court during his youth and later held the office of Chamberlain to Queen Sofia of Bavaria. He fought in the Battle of Grunwald, where he defended Radzyń against the Teutonic Order. Later, he played a prominent role in the civil wars in Bohemia. He led the Hussites during the first important clashes of the conflict in the Battle of Sudoměř and in the Battle of Vítkov Hill. In the Battle of Kutná Hora he defeated the army of the Holy Roman Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom. The effectiveness of his field artillery against the royal cavalry in this battle made it a successful element of Hussite armies.
Žižka's tactics were unorthodox and innovative and they are today considered examples of early modern guerrilla and asymmetric warfare. In addition to training and equipping his army according to their abilities, he used armored wagons, known as wagon forts, fitted with small cannons and hand cannons, anticipating the tank of five hundred years later. He exploited terrain to a greater extent than was conventional for his time, using terrain reconnaissance, knowledge and manipulation to aid his guerilla tactics and defensive maneuvers at the time when cavalry charges and open field skirmishes were standard practice. His troops were reportedly highly disciplined and loyal, having been recruited from nobility, militias and peasantry alike. His tactics necessitated rapid training for new recruits to face highly trained and armored opponents repeatedly, who usually outnumbered his own troops. According to later writers, Žižka rarely committed his forces to battle unless he had first ensured a strong tactical advantage—often through ambushes, disruption of enemy movements, or use of fortified terrain—greatly increasing the odds of victory despite being outnumbered. For those reasons, Žižka is often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time and his tactics are today studied in military academies worldwide.
A monument was erected on the Vítkov Hill in Prague to honor Jan Žižka and his victory on this hill in 1420. It is the third-largest bronze equestrian statue in the world.
Early life
Jan Žižka was born in one of two Meierhofs of the village Trocnov. An old legend says that he was born in the forest under an oak growing just next to the fields and little ponds belonging to the Meierhof. Žižka's family belonged to the lower Czech gentry but did not own much estate. Little is known of the rest of the family. Jan Žižka had several siblings but the only names known to historians are brother Jaroslav and sister Anežka. The family had a crayfish in their coat of arms.The date of Žižka's birth is not known. A document dated 3 April 1378 mentions Johannes dictus Zizka de Trocnov as a witness on a marriage contract. On the basis of this document, it is assumed that Žižka must have been of legal age at this time and was born around 1360. Nevertheless, there is no direct evidence whether Jan Žižka listed on this document was identical with the Hussite general. For example, Czech historian Tomek and his followers supposed it could have been the military leader's father. They argued that if Žižka were adult in 1378, he would be too old to become such an able commander after 1419. Others, such as Šmahel, admitted that even such an age might not have prevented him from successful leadership. Furthermore, historian Petr Čornej notes that "Žižka" was not a family name but a specific nickname that is not attested in any other member of Žižka's family.
In the years 1378–1384, Žižka's name appears on several property documents, which indicate that he was struggling with long-term financial problems. In 1381, Žižka is attested in Prague, in connection with the settlement of the inheritance on the Trocnov estate. It is unclear how to connect this stay with Piccolomini's later report that young Žížka received an education at the Prague royal court. A 1384 document also mentions some Kateřina, a wife of Johannes dictus Zizka. This document states that Žižka sold the field he had once acquired from Kateřina as a dowry. After this date, Žižka's name disappears from historical documents for 20 years and it is generally assumed that he became a mercenary soldier.
Žižka as an outlaw
Although some of the south Bohemian nobility led by Henry III of Rosenberg took part in various revolts against king Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia at the turn of the 14th and 15th century, there is no evidence of Žižka's participation in these conflicts. It is supposed that in the early years of the 15th century Jan Žižka already controlled his family property. However, the family probably got into financial problems and started selling parts of their estate. Some sources suggest that Žižka's father took the place of the royal gamekeeper before he died in 1407 near Plzeň and Žižka himself might have been taken into the royal service, too, but the evidence is not clear enough.However, beginning in 1406, Žižka starts appearing in the black book of the Rosenberg estate as an accused bandit. Unfortunately the reasons of this charge are not known, but the fact that he declared open hostility to Henry of Rosenberg and also to the city of Budějovice and their allies suggests that he was trying to fight some injustice against his house and to enforce some of his rights in this way. Šmahel assigns the boom of south-Bohemian banditry in that time to the continual growth of the estates of the rich house of Rosenberg and simultaneous indebtedness and pauperization of the lower gentry together with the thirst for land among their subjects, which resulted in social tension in the area. These circumstances may have eventually forced Žižka to leave his residence in Trocnov. Historian Tomek also speculated that he might have been forcibly deprived of his small hereditary property, which was not uncommon in that time. As a result, he started leading the life of an outlaw, partly supported by the local nobleman Valkoun.
In any case, violence broke out and Žižka tried to harm his enemies on any possible occasion using as his allies, also local bandits, led by Matěj Vůdce who were seeking only financial profit. The group camped in various places, including a farm in the village of Sedlo, a mill not far from Lomnice nad Lužnicí, at a house of an unknown woman in Hlavatce or simply in the woods. During that period, robbery, holding people for ransom, and attacking small towns were the main source of the group's income. They used it to pay their living expenses and to pay spies. Žižka took part in these raids and at least one murder: a man belonging to the cohort of Henry of Rosenberg. Žižka and the bandits were also in touch with some more powerful enemies of Henry of Rosenberg. For example, in 1408 Žižka took part in preparations for conquering the castle Hus near Prachatice. He also negotiated with Aleš of Bítov to secure Jan's help attempting to conquer the towns of Nové Hrady and Třeboň. Another nobleman asking Jan's help was Erhart of Kunštát who wanted to capture the stronghold of Slověnice.
Some of Žižka's companions were eventually captured, tortured, and executed, including Matěj Vůdce. Žižka's situation changed on 25 of April 1409 when King Wenceslas agreed that his conflict with the city of Budějovice should be finished and on 27 June he pardoned him by a special letter. At the same time he ordered the city council of Budějovice to do so too. This suggests that the king admitted that Žižka was at least partly justified in the conflict.